Dover swimmers aiming at York-Adams titles

Aniella Janosky's time of :58.29 in the 100 butterfly is just more than a half second better than Erin Merkle of York Suburban. Janosky, shown above, is top seed in the event in this weekend's York-Adams League championship meet. (Bil Bowden)

Dover's Bree Link is the defending league champ in the 100-yard breaststroke. The York-Adams League Swimming Championships are set for Friday and Saturday at Central York. (Bil Bowden)

Dover's Bree Link is preparing for her final high school swims with mixed emotions.

"It's exciting getting ready for the county meet, but it's kind of sad knowing the last weeks (of the season) are here," the Eagles' senior said during practice on Tuesday afternoon.

Link and two teammates, senior Aniella Janosky and junior Nicole Smith, earned top seeds in their events for the York-Adams League Swimming Championships. The event is scheduled for Friday and Saturday at Central York High School.

The District 3 Meet and the PIAA State Meet follow the York-Adams Championships on March 1-2 and March 13-16, respectively.

Link, the defending champion in the 100-yard breaststroke, will enter this weekend's meet with a seeded time of 1 minute, 12.55 seconds, just ahead of South Western's Alison Sell, who turned in a 1:12.65 performance.

Link gained the gold medal last year in 1:09.75.

"I'm hoping to get the same time as last year or even better," she said.

The Eagles' standout, who has narrowed her college choices to Kutztown University and Millersville University, battled illness this year.

"I missed my first meet ever, and I was sick for two weeks straight," she said.

Janosky also missed a meet for the first time in her career because of an illness.

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"I went to school that day (of the meet) hoping I could fight my way through it, but I was sent home after the first period," she said.

Janosky's time of :58.29 in the 100 butterfly is just more than a half second better than Erin Merkle of York Suburban. Smith owns almost a two-second advantage over Jade Arganbright of Central York in the 200 freestyle, 1:57.71 to 1:59.39.

Merkle won the 100 butterfly last year, Jesse North of Red Lion placed second and Janosky was third. Merkle and North, like Janosky, are seniors. Merkle also triumphed in the 500 freestyle at the 2012 meet.

"It (the butterfly) will be a good race," Janosky said. "Erin will be there and Jesse North will be right there."

Janosky, Link and diver Morgan Stambaugh, are the key senior performers on a junior-dominated Dover team which captured its third straight York-Adams Division II title this season and went 9-0-0 overall in dual meets.

"When I tell people I'm a swimmer, they say that's an individual sport," Janosky said. "It's a team sport, too. One of the things I'll remember about swimming here is discovering what's bigger than you. Learning what a team is."

Speaking of team, all three of Dover's relay teams (200 medley, 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle) are seeded first for the York-Adams Championships.

"We've been pretty solid with our relays," said Dover coach Rich Janosky, who is Aniella's father. "It's case of which ones (relays) we choose to go after."

Janosky likes the format of the York-Adams Meet.

"They don't keep team scores at the county meet, it's just for the individuals," he said. "Do we want to see our swimmers win? Sure. But, I'm really happy to watch fast swimming."

Corey Stauffer is listed first in the 100 freestyle and 200 freestyle, Trevor Hine owns the fastest times in the 200 IM and 500 freestyle, and Mason Tate is first on the list in the 100 backstroke. Two Central York swimmers, Erik Peckmann and Jesse Tate, have the fastest times in the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly, respectively. South Western's Kieran Koehler will come in with the best time in the 100 breaststroke. Dallastown teams recorded the fastest times in all three relays.

Northeastern junior Niki Price, who's recorded the fastest York-Adams times this season in six of the eight individual events, will not be competing in the league meet. Price, a member of the York YMCA team, is entered in the Orlando (Fla.) Grand Prix. The Grand Prix features many of the elite swimmers in the country, including Olympic gold medalists Ryan Lochte and Missy Franklin.

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